1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a toy water squirt gun, and more particularly to a pressurized toy water squirt gun that uses self-contained means of pressurizing a water reservoir with air, creating a pressure differential between the contained water and the ambient atmosphere that propels water from the toy either in a continuous stream or in a selective manner.
2. Prior Art Statement
Water guns have for decades been a very popular child's toy. Since the toy industry is very competitive, hundreds of different style water guns have been developed in an attempt to profit from the toy's inherent popularity. The most traditional forms of water guns are activated by a pumping action, either manually through the trigger or automatically through a battery operated motor. Such pump action water guns work, but the guns are limited in the distance the water traveled, the amount of water projected and the duration of the pumping cycle. In an attempt to improve upon water guns, the toy industry has developed pressure activated water guns. Such pressure activated water guns work upon the principle of pressure differentials between the water held within the toy and the atmosphere. The water within the toy is subjected to a pressure higher than that of the ambient air. As a result, when the water within the toy is given an avenue of escape, the water will stream out under pressure.
Two primary types of pressure activated water toys exist. The first type is when the water itself is worked to a pressure higher than that of the ambient air. This type of water gun is exemplified by the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,070 to Curtis F. Pearl et al, shows a water gun activated by trapping water in a collapsible area. As the device is collapsed, the pressure of the water builds, spraying the water out of the one small orifice left within the pressured area. Once the confined area is fully collapsed, the reexpansion of the area draws forth more water from a reservoir, thus priming the water gun for another cycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,480 to Robert S. Shindo and U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,239 to Michael E. Salmon et al, both show toy water devices that use an elastic bladder to pressurize water. The bladders are filled with high pressure water, and the bladders respond by elastically deforming. The source of pressurized water is then removed and the water within the expanded bladder is held in place by a clamping device activated by a trigger. The water gun is used by selectively releasing the clamp, allowing the water to flow from the expanded bladder.
The second type of pressure activated water toys are toys that use air pressure to force water through squirt channels. Such toys that use this technology are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,674 to Jones et al. The Jones patent shows a two piece apparatus consisting of a pressurized water reservoir and a discharging gun. The Jones patent has a hand operated air pump but differs from the present invention in that it does not have a one piece self contained pressurization system and lacks the valve configuration needed to support such a self contained system. Additionally, the present invention has the capability of working at very high pressures and incorporates safety criteria into its design to eliminate the inherent dangers of high pressure liquids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,129 to Gary F. Esposito describes a water pistol and/or flashlight structure which includes a reciprocal pump within a liquid chamber or tank located itself within the gun housing. The pump is used to pressurize air within the tank after water has been added, and a trigger is used for subsequent release of the water. Battery operated lights and sound are also provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,789, issued to Giampiero Ferri, describes a water pistol which includes a main liquid reservoir and a pressurized liquid reservoir contained within the main liquid reservoir. The trigger-actuated pump is used with a manually operated three way valve to selectively supply liquid: (a) from the pump to the pressurized reservoir; (b) from the pump to the nozzle and to the pressurized liquid reservoir; or, (c) from the pressurized liquid reservoir. The Ferri water gun is limited in many ways as compared to the present invention. Ferri does not have a separate hand pump but relies only upon the trigger as a pump (limited to finger pumping). Ferri requires manual valve switching with complicated steps not easily performed by young children. Ferri has limited liquid capacity as the main liquid reservoir is inside the housing (handle) and is very limited in pressurized tank capacity as the Ferri pressurized tank is within the main liquid reservoir. The present invention water gun uses a pump separate from the trigger, does not require switching and has one or more tanks for increased capacity which are non-detachable and external from the housing.
Thus, prior art does teach use of toy water guns that operate by the pressurization of stored water, but, the prior art does not teach or suggest a toy water gun that has a self-contained means of pressurizing stored water with air, and has a valve configuration that allows pressurized air and water to enter and exit the stored water reservoir through and by the same opening. Thus, allowing the present invention water gun to be a one piece unit and to have a high pressurization capacity results in ease of both use and manufacturability. Also, prior art fails to teach or suggest the use of highly pressurized air with water toys and fails to recognize the needed design criteria and safety allowances to eliminate the traditional hazards of producing, storing and discharging high pressure liquids.